Thursday, July 4, 2013

30 Days Without Accessories: Thoughts

30 Days Without Accessories is now officially over. The Nester has some thoughtful words about what the challenge taught her on her blog. Here's what I got from it:

1. a new perspective on the William Morris adage
Arts & Crafts designer William Morris famously said "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." With limited accessories, I wanted what I did display to be both useful and beautiful. 


Fine china to hold our potted plants. 




An antique carnival glass bowl filled with toy cars. 

2. stuff leads to more stuff
A table top or counter full of stylized items somehow invites us (me?) to set more stuff down. It's almost as if I don't see the clutter or don't realize what I'm doing unless the surfaces are clear. So many of my "accessories" were in reality just stuff that hadn't been put away properly.

3. look at the forest, not the trees
As much as I hate to acknowledge it, there are limits to my creativity. Or at least there should be. Too many colors and patterns in our small space make it feel "noisy." Our house is not a series of vignettes; it should be decorated as a cohesive whole.

So,while this was only meant to be a month-long experiment, it's going to be something that sticks around awhile longer as I figure out the best way to stylize with accessories for the space we're in.


6 comments:

  1. I didn't do the thirty days, but I am purging my house and my storage (I know - I shouldn't need a storage) and it feels great to let go of stuff. I too need to make what I have fit our space - you are right, it should be beautiful and functional.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting! It does feel great to let go of all that extra stuff. All the better to see what's truly important.

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  2. The toys and the trains etc.... I agree with you. Having the extra decorations makes it more difficult for me to tidy up the space.

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    Replies
    1. You are so right, not only is it easier to clean when there is less stuff, but I want to do it more. Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. ... and maybe accepting and embracing that 'space we're in' is the secret ...

    Linda

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    Replies
    1. I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Linda. Thanks for visiting!

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Thanks so much for commenting! I love to read what you have to say. ~Carrie

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